Dragon Ball: Telum
by Tziphora
Summary: She was born with a purpose, raised to survive it, and pushed herself to fulfill what everyone expected of her. To Rain, the only reason she lived was for her mission and to protect her family. Nothing else mattered. A young boy with a tail, a boy-crazy scientist, and their friends challenge Rain's point-of-view and show her there is more to life then the mission.


Disclaimer: Dragon Ball is the amazing work of Akira Toriyama, and I claim nothing within apart from my original characters. (the other crossover items I don't own either, but I don't want to say what it is until later, I want to leave it a surprise.)

 **Chapter 1**

 **Thieves and Fateful Meetings**

Hah. There was nothing better after a hard day of training then soaking in a natural hot spring pool in a cavern unknown to other humans. Truly, there could be no greater pleasure then this…

…except if she had a cool glass of fruit juice to sip from.

"Gosh, this water does wonders for a lady's skin. No wonder your skin is so smooth despite your reckless actions, Ms. Rain."

And the frustrating duckling that seemed determined to follow her around could go too. Please, Gaia, let it leave.

"Really, Ms. Rain. I do not know how you will ever find a proper husband with your constant training and wandering. A proper lady should remember to always maintain a graceful demeanor. With your looks, boys should be fighting to woo you, but with your behavior, they just run scared."

Why? Why did she have to be unnecessarily lectured by a child two years younger then her? The fourteen-year old Rain kept her eyes closed behind her tinted goggles, determined to ignore the towel clad nuisance next to her. And what boys? The only males Rain has encountered were bandits, merchants, villagers, and those she fought against in street tournaments. This child was seriously delusional.

",,,,,,,ll,,,,,,,,rou,,,,,,,"

Hm?

",,,,,,,,,,,ma,,,,,,,,,,oo,,,,,,,st,,,,,,"

And now more annoyances seem to have scurried into her 'home'.

"-nd a lady should…Ms. Rain, are you listening?"

"You should remain here, Ms. Chichi. It appears I have visitors that require my attention." Stepping out of the hot spring, Rain wrapped a towel around her body, tossing a sheathed stave over it. As she walked through the cave, the voices stared getting clearer as she gradually gets closer to her temporary camp.

",,,,,,,,,,,,be around here. Looks like someone else found it. Well, their loss just leaving it here unguarded."

A girl. Not an adult. Seems more like an adolescent. Seems to have some sticky fingers.

"Um, Bulma, I don't think it's really nice to dig through someone-else's stuff. They might get angry."

Male. A young one. Hard to tell age with young males. Still, at least this intruder seemed to have some form of manners.

"The kid's right, Toots. Besides, anyone crazy enough to live right next the Ox-Demon King has got to be super strong. This seems really dangerous. I vote we forget about the ball and get our keister's out of here!"

Another male. Possesses an accent she couldn't place. Coward. No threat.

Rain smirked. Well, Father had taught her the importance of properly stretching after training. Ridding her current home of these thieves (or one thief and two tagalongs) seemed to be just what she needed to keep her muscles from tensing.

Pulling the red ribbon that kept her braided hair in a bun, Rain let the ponytail free, only to tie the ribbon around the upper base of her hair, around a faintly glowing orange orb that had been hidden in the bun, seven stars glittering inside it. The glow went unnoticed in the dark cave as the ribbon quickly covered it.

"This should be fun."

-DB-

Goku was puzzled by this whole thing. First, Fire Mountain was not on fire at all, the opposite of what Oolong had said. Instead, there was a lot of greenery and a giant puddle (lake) surrounding the base of the mountain. Second, the field outside of this cavern looked like a battle had taken place. Grass was burned, rocks pulverized, and trees broken in half.

Bulma had led them into the cavern that her radar said the next dragon ball was. Of course, once the taller girl had glanced inside the cave, she then started being weird and hiding behind him and Oolong, telling them to go first. He had been willing, but it had taken Bulma threatening to say 'Piggy' to gain Oolong's cooperation.

As they proceeded inside, they eventually came upon a small camp in an enlarged section of the cave. The smaller hole further in must mean that it was even bigger then it seemed on the outside. Goku had wanted to explore further, but Bulma had grabbed his gi, picking him up and shouting that he couldn't just leave her behind, and that the radar said the dragon ball was in this cave, and since there hadn't been any sign of another entrance, they just had to keep walking and they'd eventually stumble upon it.

Which led to now. Bulma was picking another pouch and opening it, pulling out a bunch of small colorful balls, but none of them the dragon ball.

"Um, Bulma, I don't think it's really nice to dig through someone-else's stuff. They might get angry."

Oolong kept his back to a wall, making sure no monster snuck up behind him and tried to make pork chops out of him. This whole cave just oozed danger. The scenery outside was enough of a 'Stay Out' sign if he ever saw one, but wasn't he lucky. Of all the people to ruin his marriage plans, kidnap him, drug him, and blackmail him, it just happened to be two thrill seekers who wouldn't know danger if it chomped its teeth in their face. Or at least the kid seemed that moronic. The blue haired broad just seemed to put a little too much face in her mini guardian.

"The kid's right, Toots. Besides, anyone crazy enough to live right next the Ox-Demon King has got to be super strong. This seems really dangerous. I vote we forget about the ball and get our keister's out of here!"

Bulma ignored both boys.

"Oh relax, you two. It's not like this will take that long. Whoever set this place up won't even know we were here, so calm down. We'll just grab the dragon ball and be out of here before they come back."

She tossed the bag back to the folded sleeping blanket.

"Not here either. Maybe…" Bulma reached into her carrying pouch and pulled out the dragon radar, clicking it on and changing the focus to get a more accurate reading on the ball's location. The blunette blinked in confusion at what the radar was saying.

"Hey, guys, that dragon ball is really close. And according to the radar…it almost looks like…it's getting-EEEEKKKKK!"

A long metal rod jutted into the ground right where Bulma had been, the tallest of the group having narrowly been saved by Goku, who heard the disturbance in the air moments before the pole appeared, just managing to grab Bulma before she got hurt.

"I THINK THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE!" Oolong shouted, as footsteps now made themselves known.

From the entrance leading further into the cave, a person taller then Goku and Oolong but smaller then Bulma appeared, their feature still hidden by the shadows.

Glaring at the person who just attacked his friend, Goku set Bulma down and pulled out his power pole, prepared to defend his friends from this opponent.

"So, a trio of rodents have wandered into camp and started sniffing for scraps."

The figure stepped into the light of the fire, revealing itself to be a human, wrapped in a bigger version of that white towel-cloth Bulma had tossed at him when she first showed him what a bath was. They had spiky black hair just like he did, but there was more tied behind, like Bulma's, only longer. But they were also wearing some strange thing on their head, covering their eyes and a red ribbon in their hair.

It was too far away for him to tell if it was a boy or a girl human, but he did know they were strong. That pole they threw had embedded itself into the stone ground, without any cracks spreading out.

This was going to be fun. Goku couldn't stop the excited grin from spreading across his face.

A matching grin also appeared on his opponent's face.

"To be honest, I should thank you for scurrying over. I almost made a serious mistake and sorta forgot to stretch after training today, so getting rid of you guys should fix that."

The boy?girl? tossed the empty harness for their stave to the ground, casually walking towards the metal stave in the ground, even as Bulma backed away from Goku, cowering against the wall next to Oolong.

Effortlessly, they drew the stave from the ground, gripping it with both hands as they got into a fighting stance.

"So, no hard feelings after I beat some manners into your skulls, kay? Good."

"Goku, kick her butt! We need that dragon ball!" Bulma cried out.

"I'm a hostage here, ma'am! An innocent pig. Please save me from these deplorable thieves!" Oolong begged, seeking any means of saving his life.

Goku could hear Bulma growl Oolong's name, followed by cry for help. But he pushed that from his mind. The danger was in front, staring back at them. Bulma said 'her' so that must mean this was a girl, just like Bulma. Though they didn't seem anything alike.

"I'm really sorry we messed with your stuff, but I can't let you beat up my friends. But a fight does sound fun, so I'll play with you."

-DB-

How interesting. 'Play with you' he says. Rain really couldn't believe the guts this kid had. The squirt wasn't even phased by her attire, which was even better. Bashfulness had no place in a real fight.

"Well then, why don't we make a bet then." She could already hear Father's lecture, but really, Rain couldn't help it. She always loved a good challenge.

The kid -Goku she believed the thief had called out- loosened his stance, though she did have to admit that it was amazing he could still keep his guard up without it being obvious.

"A bet? What kind of bet?"

"Don't let her fool you, kid! She's just trying to mess with your head!" Mr. Not-so-innocent-afterall-pig cried out. Not that Goku listened, more focused on the towel-clad fighter before him.

"If I win, you have to run a small, simple errand for me. Nothing dangerous, just a delivery. If you win, you can have whatever it was you were looking for in my bags." Now she could finally send that overly sweet annoyance back to her pop's home.

"What if we tie?"

…Really? Rain wasn't sure what to think. Usually men, no matter their age, thought they would always beat girls in whatever competition they partook in. They couldn't wait to proclaim that she shouldn't cry when they won.

Which was annoying since she didn't see how gender affected strength.

But this guy was offering the chance of a tie….who saw her, a female, capable of being just as strong as a male…

…how fun.

"Then, should we tie, I'll give you the chance of pleading your case for whatever you're looking for, but you have to run my errand."

"Deal!"

Goku resumed his stance, reaffirming his grip on his red pole. Another fighter versed in stave. This really would be a great fight. Rain didn't even really care about the thief attempt now. The chance to fight someone strong…

…well, there just wasn't anything better.

-DB-

Silence followed, as both fighters assessed their opponent. The only noise that could be heard was the crackling of the fire, and the low whimpering of the cowardly duo.

The stalemate was broken when a log let out an especially loud crackle, a signal that both fighters took heed of.

"YAHHHHHH!"

"Heh!"

Goku started the fight with a low swipe of his power pole, aiming for the girl's legs to knock her off her feet, while she thrust her stave for his gut to knock him back. Both attacks were mere moments from forcing them to either choose dodging, parrying, or taking the attack, when-

"SSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

Both fell flat on their face, weapons still in hand. Bulma and Oolong both covered their ears at the shrill cry. The weak duo watched in dumbfounded awe as a small figure entered the cavern via the same way the other female had. Only this one was clad in clothes….not that they covered much to begin with. Her bladed helmet covered more then that bikini armor.

The small black-haired female walked up to the downed fighters, a dark gaze on her face as she came to a stop by the towel clad female.

"Ms. Rain! You know better then that. We just finished having this discussion. A lady should always remain poise and proper. Dignity should come to you as easy as breathing. A lady does not fight in a towel. It just isn't done! If you must partake of such barbaric practices, you should be properly dressed! The only man who should ever see you clad as such is your husband!"

Goku sat up, rubbing his head in puzzlement. There was suddenly another human, though this one may be female cause its voice hurt his ears just like Bulma's when she was upset, which was often. But he couldn't be too sure without checking. Though with Bulma here, maybe he should ask her, otherwise, she may hit his head again.

"Grrrrr, Ms. Chichi, I would really appreciate it if you remained out of my-" Before the…no, the smaller one called the girl Rain, Rain could finish her complaint though, the one called Chichi threw the clothes Bulma had disturbed earlier in Rain's face.

"Go back to the pool and get dressed properly!"

With a look that spoke of her frustration quite cleary, Rain picked up the clothes and stomped back in. It just wasn't worth the headache to argue. Her sensitive ears had no desire to hear another loud shrill.

Goku was shocked. Not by Rain's giving in, he would too if Bulma screamed in his ears, but despite her fast and obviously heavy pace, her footsteps were completely silent.

Which means, when he had heard her walking earlier, she'd 'allowed' him to. She had such control over her body. Grandpa had told him that to attain such a skill required years of training in the art.

"Amazing."

Seeing the danger had passed, Bulma and Oolong finally ventured away from the wall and closer to the fire, where the loud human currently was, adding a new log to the flames, feeding them.

Once that was done, ?she? turned to them and bowed. "I apologize for Ms. Rain's actions. She's really sensitive about people invading her space. My name is Chichi, the Ox-King's daughter. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

At the young girl's manners, all three adventurers followed suit with a bow.

"Nice to meet you." All three responded in unison.

When all four straightened up, they stared at each other in silence, when what Chichi had said suddenly dawned on Bulma and Oolong.

"WHAAAAAAT?! The Ox-King's daughter?!"

This puny little girl was the infamous Ox-Demon King's daughter!? The duo couldn't believe it. Goku didn't care about that though. His focus was on different matters. Now that it had been stated that Chichi was a girl, that was one question down and lucky him, he didn't have to make Bulma mad by checking or asking to know for sure.

With that out of the way, Goku walked up to Chichi.

Startled by the fact that a boy was nonchalantly walking up to her, the slightly taller child took a small step back.

"Y-yes? Can I help you with something?"

Goku's eyes were focused on her, unwavering in their search for something only he knew.

Bulma gulped, hoping that her small protector wouldn't do a 'pat-pat'. Please Kami let him not do that!

"Since your father is the Ox-King, does that mean your really strong as well? Do you want to spar with me?" Goku asked with a great big smile. Since his fight with Rain was interrupted, Goku hoped that Chichi would fight with him instead, or at least until Rain was done with putting clothes on. Then maybe they could continue their fight.

Goku blinked in puzzlement when the other three occupants in the cavern fell to the ground. Chichi was the first one up, fury blazing behind her.

"Nonsense! I am a delicate young lady! There is no way I would ever take part in such a barbarious practice. How uncouth of you to ask such a thing of a lady!"

Chichi's words were followed with a powerful right-handed slap to Goku's face, sending the unprepared boy flying into the wall, a loud echo following the painful impact.

As he fell to the ground, he knew two new things in this strange world. First, Chichi was really really strong. Second, she was like Bulma and seemed to really not like fighting, despite her strength.

"Ouch." He muttered, rubbing his head carefully, where a knot was growing.

TBC…

Hello! Tziphora here. This is the first chapter to what I plan on being a series that follows the whole Dragon Ball series (with the exception of G.T, unless I HEAVILY alter it, but that would take a lot of people requesting it for me to consider working on it.) Anyway, Hope you all like this short chapter. The next one will be much longer, as this is more of a short introductory chapter. With life…somewhat better, I shouldn't be on such a long break anymore….dang it! I just jinxed myself, didn't I….

….Anyway, thank you for reading and please leave a review if you would. They are always appreciated. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed but please no flaming.


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